Five Signs I’m Turning into an Aussie
By theprofessionalhobo ~ May 26th, 2009. Filed under: Australia.
We’re fast approaching the 1-year anniversary of our arrival in Australia. And in the course of our Aussie adventures, some of the local customs, slang, and other characteristics are slowly permeating my daily way of life to transform me – slowly but surely – into an Aussie. Here are a few:
G’Day Mate
My friends have become “mates”. No, this is not some Discovery Channel or Animal Planet experiment gone horribly wrong; “mate” is basically Aussie for “friend”. In some cases, a reference to a “mate” indicates a particularly strong friendship.
(No, not THAT kind of friendship. Geez.)
I Reckon
I say “reckon” as in “I reckon” this and “I reckon” that.
Apparently I’ve been doing a lot of reckoning lately.
Say What?
I pronounce words ending in “er” as “ah” – just a little. “Bangers & mash” have now become (phonetically speaking) “bangahs & mash”. Now all I have to do is figure out what bangers and mash are.
(I’m kidding; please don’t tell me.)
You’re taking the WHAT out of me? Aw…Thanks.
When my mates try to make fun of me (“take the piss out of me” is the official term), I take it as a sign of affection. I’m even learning to dish it right back out.
(Give it time; I’m still learning, and always feel the need to apologize right after “I take the piss out of” somebody. How Canadian of me.)
Vegemite: I thought it would never happen.
I’m learning – slowly – to enjoy Vegemite. At first gag, I didn’t think it would be possible to embrace this dark brown salty yeasty spread meant for poor unsuspecting crackers and toast and such. But over time, and when it was reintroduced to me slowly and tenderly, it started to take hold.
The way to do it is to have toast with butter and a very light scraping of Vegemite on top. Even better: throw on some fresh tomato slices and cheese, and you have a common Aussie breakfast that actually has me craving Vegemite.
Yes, craving it.
Okay, I must go now. I reckon I have a pressing need to spread some brown yeasty salty stuff all over some “crackahs” or other high-carb substance for lunch, then make fun of my mates to show them how much I love them (but not in that way).
May 26th, 2009 at 2:52 pm
Guilty on a couple of these. Reckon has also made it into my vocab, as has “heaps” as in “I’ve got heaps of those at home”. Vegemite: extremely good on toast with butter and thick slices of cheese (Australian “tasty” cheese is just fine, I reckon – although a gruyere is ideal).
I’ve avoided mate and g’day. And one thing I can’t stand is “ta”, as in thank you. I hate it. It sounds so childish to me, like a baby saying ba-ba for bottle.
One other thing I find myself doing sometimes is the wavering inflection at the end of a sentence. The end dips down and then ends up (very hard to explain).
May 26th, 2009 at 2:57 pm
Oh Nora….Maaaatttteee,
You always make me laugh.
“crackahs” , nah, dried bickies more like it!
Reckon now you are staying a bit longer (thanks to Kev) you will be speaking proper real soon, Mate.
(This post could end up horribly, there are whole sites dedicated to Strine)
May 26th, 2009 at 3:35 pm
@ Frank: Oh my gosh. What an Aussie faux-pas. How could I evah call them crackahs? Aussies don’t even know what crackahs are! Bickie, bickie, bickie….
BTW – for my non-Aussie readers, bickies are short for crackers/cookies/nibblies. It’s kind of a catch-all; I never know if I’m getting a choc chip cookie or a Ritz. Meh. Keeps life interesting.
May 26th, 2009 at 3:39 pm
@Carlo: Of course: Heaps! I’ve said “heaps” heaps of times! And I don’t say g’day or ta as a matter of principle. Ta in particular is just plain lazy, and while some Aussie slang has its roots in laziness, this one takes the cake. If you want to be polite, then say “thank you”! It suggests you actually mean it.
And I’m not sure about your inflection reference, but I probably do it without even realizing. Now I’ll be on the watch for it.
May 26th, 2009 at 6:36 pm
if u like vegamite, you truly are aussie
May 26th, 2009 at 9:38 pm
This list is Awesome!
My wife and I leave in 12 days to move to Australia. We are so excited we can barely hold it in. We will be starting up in Cairns, though, so it’ll be quite a while from where you are now!
Rock on!
May 26th, 2009 at 11:07 pm
Nora, congrats on the Vegemite, I’m proud of you. You can stay.
May 27th, 2009 at 5:34 am
Well, I’m British, and I have all those (though I prefer Marmite to Vegemite). Maybe Australia isn’t so different after all
May 27th, 2009 at 10:05 am
@Rachel – You’re right; There’s a huge British influence on Aussie culture, so many of the things that I as a Canadian think are different or odd may not be characteristic of only Australia. And I haven’t tried Marmite…yet…
May 27th, 2009 at 10:07 am
@Amanda – Ha Ha! I knew I’d earn my Aussie stripes somehow!
@Baker – Have an awesome trip! You’ll be arriving in Cairns at just the right time…not too hot, not too wet…
@Matt – You got it! I’m still amazed that I can swallow it (pun intended). But tis (almost) always best to do as the locals do…
May 28th, 2009 at 2:27 am
G’Day Mate..followed by how ya goin ? Kinda of like the Mexican version of que paso ? or the French ” Comment ca-va? or Comment va-tu ? In N’York, or generally anywhere on the east coast its the “how ya doin”?
Most interesting to me is that the Ottawa Valley has always said, G’Day how R t’day ?
I guess we tend to pick up the local lingo naturally but Vegamite? Now that is scary. It maybe time for a Kraft Peanut Butter intervention.
Be well,
Keith
May 28th, 2009 at 10:31 am
@Keith – Mmmmmmm…..Peeeeeanut butterrrrrr…..something Aussies just don’t “get” that I really miss from home is Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. It’s not just peanut butter and chocolate….it’s heaven.
May 28th, 2009 at 5:40 pm
Now that you are a published book author, when will your “foreign language” book, “How To Speak Aussie” be out?
May 29th, 2009 at 9:33 am
@A. Wannabe: Patience, grasshoppah, patience!